Clothespin



March 31, 1953 J. F. DONAHUE CLOTHESPIN Filed Feb. 15

INVENTOR JOHN F. DONAHUE I ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 31, 1953 STATES y p 2332,2930 i QLOIHESPIN llohnff. Donahue; Bl'odkh'n, N.- 2-. Applicatipn February =15, 1951, Serial err-mos .1 Claim. (01. 24 -s4,

This invention relates to a clothes pin-which can be permanently suspended from the clothes ine- It is an obieetof the present invention to provide a clethes pin-which can be connected on the clothes line and which is so constructed that it is made readily available "to the user with the li -@511 possible effort, and when released and suspended from the "line, the clothes pin overlaps and unites with adjacent pins to consume little space upon the line.

It is another object of the invention to provide a clothes" pin adapted to be permanently connected to the line, the pin. 'being double ended and eanbeswung to either one direction or to the ther directionfor its connectionwith the clothes Onthe line. l"

lt'i is another object of the invention to provide in-va clothes pin a clip member for the suspension of the clothes *pinon the wire which can be sprung to permit the easy placing of the clip over therwire or the removal of the clip and clothes pin therefrom and also to provide a clip which will align the clothes pinsrupon the clothes line when not in use and when suspended thereupon.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a clothes pin adapted to be permanently connected to a clothes line, which is of simple con struction, is inexpensive to manufacture, has a minimum number of parts, is easy to manipulate, durable, consumes little space upon the line, and is efiicient to use. v

For other objects and for a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with theacc'ompanying drawing in which v Fig.1 is a perspective view of the clothes pin embodying the features of the present invention and constructed according to one form thereof.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 2-2 .of Fig. 1. I

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the clothes pin extended over clothes upon the line and as applied thereto.

Fig; 4. is a vertical sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. .3.

Fig. 5 is aperspective view of an assembly of several of the clothes pins upon the -line.'

Fig.1 6 is a side elevational view of amodified I I form of the invention providing'a double ended clothes pin. v

Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 1 -1 ofFig, 6;

Fig. 8 is avertical sectional view taken on line elements of t e ouble ended cl thes p n shown in Fig, 6.

Fig. 10 is a side elevational view of the clothes pin in use on the imewith one ofthe ends of the same extended 'rover-the clothing and line and with a dotted line illustration showing the appli cation of the clothes pin fromithe-opposite direction. p

Fig. 11 is an assembly-of two clothes pinsupon the line and an edge elevational view thereof.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 1 to 5, it represents the clothes body which in section, as viewed in .Fig. 4, has the general shape of a clothes pin witha clothes pin opening for re- 7 ceiving. the line and garment, as indicated at It.

toprovide a good finger, grip; Grooves l8 and- [9 areprovidedon oppositeside faces of the body to further facilitate the grip of the clothes pin.

The inner faces of the body M are tapered, as indicated at 2 I, to permit the easy sliding of the clothes pin over the line. The bottom edge of the body is rounded, as indicated at 22, to further facilitate the movement of the clothes pin over the line. The clamping action of the body is effected upon the clothes 23 and line 24 by the left side of the clothes pin body as viewed in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

Upon the entering side of the body 14. the upper corner of the handle portion is recessed at the opposite sides thereof to provide respectively shoulders 25 and 26, against which suspending line 21 can abut to limit to some extent the relative pivotal movement of the loop element 21 and the body [4. The loop extends through an opentrated in Fig. 3 by a mere swinging upwardly of the clothes pin body l4 and the loop over the clothes pin to a position as shown in Fig; 3 and inclined to present the flared open side of the clothes pin body so that it can be dropped downwardly over the clothes 23 and the line 24 and thereafter readily straightened into its final gripping relationship therewith. The loop element 21 is of substantially the same length as the body element I4 so as to provide for adequate vertical adjustment of the body element upon the line.

In Fig. 5 there is shown an assembly of the clothes pins upon the line 24, and it will be seen that by a simple angling of the loop upon the line that the bodies 14 can be aligned in a side by side relationship so that they consume little longitudinal space along the line.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 6 to 11, there is shown a double end construction. Two body parts 3| and 32 are shaped to fit one another.

along line 33, Fig. 8. These parts respectively have openings 34 and 35 therein which register with one another and through which a loop retaining element 36 extends. This element has its ends 31 and 38 overlapping one another and the end 37 flared so as to receive the clothes line upon the insertion of the same intothe loop eleto provide an opening 44 for receiving the clothes line 24 and the clothes 23.

As illustrated in Fig. 10, the clothes pin, when lifted upwardly and twisted, can have its twisted portion 39 drop below the clothes line and the body elements aligned to be extended over the clothes line 24 either in the full line position, as shown in Fig. 10, or in the dotted line position with the opposite end extended over the line 24. The'twisted upper end 39 of the element 36 will hold the clothes pin assemblies suspended from the line in the manner as shown in Fig. 11, and against angular displacement relative thereto ,4 while being suspended and for free sliding movement over the line.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction, it shall be understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A clothes pin assembly adapted to be suspended from a clothes line comprising a clothes pin body element having two relatively wide fiat resilient sides and a clothes line opening therebetween and a block like handle portion extending across the top thereof, said handle portion having roughened sides, an elongated loop element pivotally connected to the top of the body, and adapted to pivot downwardly for alignment of its opening with the side of the opening in the clothes pin body and the handle portion of the clothes pin body being formed at one end thereof to provide shoulders at the opposite sides of the body against which said loop element can abut to limit the angular displacement of the loop element and the body element.

7 JOHN F. DONAI-IUE.

REFERENCES CITED The following, references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

